Savings through Energy Metering

Interestingly enough, research by the US Department of Energy (and others) has shown that just installing meter monitoring on your building improves efficiency awareness and can result in up to 2% energy savings.  The table below, derived from a study by the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), presents expected energy savings based on metering combined with increasing levels of proactive energy management.  The Energy Expert is most often used in combination with energy savings activities shown in the shaded area of the table (Building Tune-Up and Continuous Commissioning).

Projected savings can be significant and depend on the degree of “aggressiveness” in the use of the tool and the attentiveness to Energy Expert results.   Some Energy Expert customers have saved over 35% of their energy costs by combing the implementation and use of Energy Expert with an aggressive approach to implementing low- and no-cost energy savings measures and diligence in responding to the Energy Expert’s Daily Scorecard.

DOE’s research findings also bear out estimates of at least 10% potential energy savings in almost any building through low-cost building tune-ups and even higher savings through the use of more comprehensive retro-commissioning activities—both which focus more on improving the performance of existing equipment than on investing in retrofit projects¹.

Metering Savings Ranges²

Action	Observed Savings
Installation of meters	0-2% (the “Hawthorne effect”)
Bill allocation only	2-1/2 to 5% (improved awareness)
Building tune-up	5-15% (improved awareness, and identification of simple O&M improvement)
Continuous commissioning	15-45% (improved awareness, ID simple O&M improvements, project accomplishment, and continuing management attention)